OSU to hold class on Saturday, finals week after weather closures

Here’s the trade-off to those cold-weather cancellations at Ohio State University: Some students
will have to take make-up classes during finals week or on a Saturday.

In an email sent across the university after the second cancellation last month, the OSU provost
gave professors permission to hold class the day before final exams begin. Students should be
prepared to attend class on April 22, Provost Joseph Steinmetz wrote, which is the university's “
reading day” before finals and typically reserved for studying.

For seven-week courses, or half of a semester, OSU is letting professors hold class this
Saturday or on Feb. 15.

“Given that these make-up days are Saturdays, I ask that students make every attempt to attend
if their instructor chooses to offer a make-up class,” Steinmetz wrote.

The move triggered backfire among some students. On social media websites, some students laughed
off the idea of going to class the day before finals begin or on a Saturday. Others were outraged
by the move and asked OSU to reverse course.

It’s up to professors to decide whether they want to use the make-up days, OSU spokesman Gary
Lewis said. The university doesn’t track how many are using the option. Steinmetz wrote that
students won't necessarily be required to attend if their professors schedule a make-up day.

“In these kinds of circumstances, however, we ask instructors to remain flexible, given other
commitments students may have made,” Steinmetz wrote in the email. “Students who do not attend will
not be penalized, so instructors should plan the use of these make-up days accordingly.”